Magnifique Michel

Even for a sophisticated side like Juventus there is always a player who can
add an extra touch of class. Nobody in their great history brought more style
and flair to Turin than Michel Platini. In just five seasons they enjoyed a
triumphant love affair which burns brightly to this day.

In a way it was no surprise that the talented ‘Platoche’ should end up in
Italy. It was a return to his roots. Platini’s grandfather Francesco left
the country for France in search of his fortune. And so the gifted Michel was
brought up in his family cafe on a diet of pasta and football. His father,
Aldo, was no mean player himself but he recognised early that his son would
eclipse his career. Not everyone was quite so ready to accept his talents.

Platini was rejected as a youngster by local club Metz because of his
physical frailty. Their loss was certainly Nancy’s gain. It was with the
small French outfit that he picked up his first League appearances in the
mid-1970s. He soon showed enough quality to catch the eye of national team
Coach Michel Hidalgo. He was busy building a side which would go on to become
the best in Europe - and Platini would be central to that.

But there were precious few honours likely to come his way as long as he
stayed with Nancy. A French Cup win in 1978 was the only trophy he collected
in seven years with the club. Saint Etienne ruled the roost at the time and
when they made an offer in 1979 the ambitious attacking midfielder could not
refuse.

In three impressive seasons there he gathered his first League title and also
became the very heart of the national team. When in 1982 he took France to
the brink of World Cup triumph - only to be denied by a cynical West German
side in the semi-final - the Serie A giants had seen enough. Juventus were
the lucky club to capture his signature.

This was a tough time for stranieri with big reputations as the ban on
imports had only just been lifted. They were singled out for rough treatment
from Italy’s most rugged defenders. On occasions Platini picked up more
bruises than he got touches of the ball. Still, he adapted to his new
surroundings quickly and gained an understanding of what calcio really meant.

"The Italians taught me a lot of things which few people here in France want
to learn," he said. "Football is the most important thing in the world on the
peninsula - a bit like cheese and wine are for us. A Frenchman would travel
200km to a good vineyard - an Italian would go twice that distance to see a
football game."

The former Saint Etienne man became one of the star attractions. Platini
learned to take the knocks and raised Juve from an all-conquering domestic
side to the best in the world. His medal haul alone in that golden age makes
breathtaking reading. Two Italian Championships, the European Cup, World Club
Cup, Cup-Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup and the Italian Cup all came his
way. There were personal honours too as he finished Serie A top scorer for
three seasons in a row between 1983 and 1985.

In the same seasons he was also crowned European Footballer of the Year and
in 1984 he took France to the first of their two European Championship
successes. Platini has since watched the current French side eclipse his own.
He is the first to recognise the important role his club side played in
putting him on the world map.

"When you score goals with Juventus, the news travels around the world and
you are really someone," he once said. "And that changes your life." He made
the switch from star to superstar with the same ease as he used to hit
pinpoint 40-yard passes. And he also enjoyed every minute along the way.

"My Juve team was an exciting side which scored bags of goals," he recalls.
"There was Zbigniew Boniek and myself, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano
Scirea, Antonio Cabrini, Dino Zoff, Claudio Gentile, Aldo Serena, Massimo
Mauro, Massimo Bonini, Sergio Brio and Michael Laudrup - I can’t even
remember all the great players which shows we were a great side.

"It should also silence the critics who question how exciting we were to
watch. That Juventus side was entertaining but nobody used that term at the
time," he insists. "Get yourself a videotape, I’ll even loan you one, and you
’ll see that I’m not lying."

Platini’s greatest secret was that he never let success go to his head. His
humble background made him grateful for all the admiration and wealth he
enjoyed rather than considering them his just reward. Despite his awesome
talent he always kept his feet firmly on the ground. Maybe that was what
helped him to duck out of the game so early with his immense reputation still
intact. By the time the 1986-87 season came around, at the age of just 32, he
began to realise his talents were on the wane. The skills were still there
but the physical knocks were starting to take their toll. Besides, he had won
almost everything and there were another three years to the next World Cup.

Platini decided to bow out graciously, leaving everyone with the images of
his greatest exploits fresh in their mind. Not for him the desperate decline
football fans are now being forced to witness with Maradona or the New York
pantomime days of Pele. He certainly went out at the top with 72 caps and 41
goals for his country.

"Platini was one of the few world-class players in the history of football
capable of being a playmaker and leader of a team while at the same time
being its most deadly finisher," mused one Italian pundit. "He was a goal
maker and goal taker of the highest class. In the hall of fame of French
football he combined the genius of Raymond Kopa with the clinical finishing
of Just Fontaine."

Sure, his skills on the field were not quite matched by his crack at managing
the French national team. Despite an impressive unbeaten run in the build-up
to Euro ‘92 in Sweden, his side flopped in the competition itself. They
needed someone like Platini on the pitch - not sitting on the sideline giving
orders.

He settled into a more background role, but still played a major part in
organising the World Cup in France ‘98. His inspirational qualities cannot
be underestimated in aiding his country to finally win that trophy. The World
Cup success inspired the French last summer as they went on to record a
unique double. Without the preparatory work carried out by Platini during his
illustrious career ‘Les Bleus’ would probably still be waiting for football
’s biggest prize.

STAR RATING: 9/10 The most influential player in Juve’s recent history. A
true No 10 and midfield genius who could score more often than most strikers
and hit passes of 40-50 yards to a teammate’s feet. European Player of the
Year from 1983 to 1985 and an important cog in the success of the Bianconeri
and the French national side.


Michel Platini
Born: Joeuf (France), 21/6/55
Position: Midfielder
Ht/Wt: 1.79m/73kg
Serie A debut: Sampdoria 1-0 Juventus, 12/9/82
International debut: France 2-2 Czechoslovakia, 27/3/76
International caps: 72
International goals: 41

Honours:
Lo Scudetto (1984, 86)
Coppa Italia (1983)
European Cup (1985)
European Cup-Winners’ Cup (1984)
Intercontinental Cup (1985)
European Super Cup (1984)
French Championship (1981)
French Cup (1978)
European Championship Trophy (1984)
European Player of Year (1983, 84, 85)
Serie A Capocannoniere (1983, 84, 85)



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